American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawaii

Episode Info

"American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawaii" follows three "kunu hula" (master hula teachers) as they keep the "heartbeat of Hawaiian culture" alive among Hawaiians in California. The three are seen teaching and directing performances. And expounding. "I can go anywhere and be Hawaiian," says Mark Ho'omalu od Oakland, who describes his sometimes unorthadox hulas as "brash, aggressive, smart-alecky and sassy." But Sissy Kaio of Carson is more concerned with maintaining traditions than she is with innovation. "I've been wanting to go home for some time," she says. "But I can't because I have a responsibility here."